Girl Scout Troop 2049 took the main stage about 6:30 p.m. as snow was falling and as dozens of family members, friends and passers-by watched and waited.

The young performers shined as they sang the classics: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (all the lyrics), “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” and “Feliz Navidad.”

The Idaho Springs city council approved the rezoning of 20 acres at the Argo Gold Mine and Mill to allow for a hotel, restaurant and multi-family housing.

The council unanimously approved the decision on Nov. 28 to change the zoning to commercial-1; the property previously had been zoned planned-unit development, natural resource preservation conservation and mining-1.

The city’s planning commission had recommended the rezoning on Nov. 3.

Santa could use a little help this year from Clear Creek County residents.

Donations are down for the annual nonprofit Santa Shop, a gift-giving event on Dec. 16 and 17 for children in need.

The organization sets up giving trees around the county, and each is decorated with “mittens” requesting an article of clothing or other gift for a boy or girl of a certain age. Donated items are dropped off in boxes near the trees, and the gifts are collected and taken to the Santa Shop at the Idaho Springs Elks Lodge, where parents pick them up.

With the boundless energy of a 6-year-old, Steven Hanners zoomed through the house, racing around the legs of the adults, occasionally giving out hugs and thoroughly exploring his new home.

His excitement was shared by his grandparents, Cheri Brown and John Caldwell, who stood in the living room of their Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity house in Empire during a dedication ceremony Dec. 1.

The three-bedroom house at 64 S. Avery St. is the first of eight Habitat houses planned in Empire over the next three to four years.

The Idaho Springs Police Department kicked off an educational effort last week to promote nighttime bicycle safety, and city officials plan to discuss requiring helmets for children.

The department hopes to educate residents this month by making contact with bicyclists who have inadequate safety devices before taking any official action in January, but Police Chief Chris Malanka said even then, police don’t plan to levy fines.

Most people see a chair as merely a place to sit. For Jonathan Gerspach, though, a single chair can represent hours of work — designing, measuring, building, crafting and finishing.

Gerspach, a Clear Creek County resident, is a woodworker and furniture craftsman, and his passion for the work is demonstrated by his dedication to it. Each week, he spends 60 to 80 hours building custom furniture: headboards, tables, benches, desks, pergolas, chairs and dressers.

SHERIDAN — For the second year in a row, the Clear Creek Lady Golddiggers pom squad took first place in the 3A/2A Frontier League championships in dance, besting both Middle Park, as well as host Sheridan with a choreographed dance to the song “We can’t stop,” by Miley Cyrus. The win allows them a bid for another state title on Dec. 10 at the Denver Coliseum.

It’s been a couple of seasons since a group of four seniors — Anna Schwecke, Kaela Kalabany, Katie Vieweg and Claire Werlin — paved the way for Clear Creek’s girls’ basketball program to reach the Sweet 16 of the 2A tournament field. But more than what they did on the scoreboard, that group laid the foundation for this year’s junior class.